Dr. Jesse (Jess) Jur is the Deputy Director of the North Carolina Office of Science, Technology & Innovation (OSTI), a team located North Carolina Department of Commerce that is responsible for managing strategic programs and conducting policy research to foster economic growth in North Carolina. Within OSTI, Dr. Jur leads efforts for the North Carolina Defense Science & Technology Systems Strategy to increase the State’s Defense economy. Prior to this role, Jess was the Director of Technical Program Development at Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), where he led business development and technical strategy for over $25 million in new programs for the U.S. Defense and Intelligence communities. Additionally, he served as a professor at North Carolina State University, where he led a research group focused on smart textiles and textile product design. Dr. Jur has extensive experience in technology and supply chain analysis, managing investments, and collaborating with domestic industry and academia. A technology innovator, manager, and communicator with multidisciplinary expertise for research strategy and administration, he has a proven capability in developing creative solutions and teams across government, industry and academia to yield high economic and human impact.